


Hulk Gets a Present

by Alex51324



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bunnies, Gen, Stuffed Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-13
Updated: 2014-06-13
Packaged: 2018-02-04 10:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1776571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alex51324/pseuds/Alex51324
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or, another use for a giant custom rabbit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hulk Gets a Present

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this kinkmeme prompt: 
> 
> So you know that huge stuffed toy bunny that Tony got Pepper in IM3?  
> That huge stuffed toy bunny that Pepper didn't like?  
> That huge stuffed hulk-sized toy bunny?  
> You know who would love that toy bunny? Hulk!
> 
> Tony gives Hulk the toy rabbit that Pepper didn't want. Hulk thinks his new rabbit is the best thing in the world. Everything is adorable! :)

It didn’t really start with the inflatable Easter Bunny—that was just the moment it finally clicked, for Tony. The _beginning_ was back when the Avengers appeared on a TV quiz show, and Bruce picked for his charity not science for the underprivileged, not water for third world countries, but one that provided teddy bears and other stuffed animals to be given to children entering New York City foster care. 

When the show’s host asked him the reason behind his choice, on camera, he explained only that He thought kids in that situation needed to know somebody was looking out for them, and the amount he was likely to win on the show was enough to make a big difference to such a relatively small organization. But later, under merciless questioning that Tony later felt bad about, Bruce admitted the real reason. “I had this…bunny.” He described a shape in the air. “I called him Snowbunny. He had white, white fur. I had him up until, until right after my mom…after my dad…when I went into care. They took me to a, a temporary placement, group home sort of thing. And while I was sleeping, the first night, one of the other kids stole him.”

“That’s rough,” Tony said. Losing both parents and your bunny on the same day. And Bruce had been, what, about six, when the events he so delicately avoided describing had happened. 

“I wasn’t there long,” Bruce added. “They found some relatives to put me with. My aunt told me, maybe the other kid didn’t take my toy just to be mean, maybe he needed Snowbunny more than I did.” He shrugged. “So anyway, when I saw that one on the list, I thought it was a good idea.” 

Hulk hadn’t taken any particular notice of bunnies before then, as far as Tony could recall, but maybe Bruce talking about Snowbunny brought it to his mind. The next time they went out, the monster of the week proved surprisingly easy to beat, and within twenty minutes, all was over but the cleanup. Tony’s part of “cleanup” was to herd Hulk back to the Tower—or, if they couldn’t make it that far, to some semi-private place where he could collapse and turn back into Bruce. Usually, Hulk was tired enough from fighting to cooperate.

But this time, Hulk wasn’t cooperating. He wandered down the street, crushing sidewalk signs and café tables under his feet. As he walked, he slapped utility poles as he passed them, like Tony could remember doing with parking meters, when he’d been a kid. The rhythm of it, _step, step, SLAP, step, step, SLAP,_ had been oddly compelling. Only trouble was, a tap from Hulk’s palm was enough to bend the utility poles over until their tops nearly touched the ground. 

“Hey, buddy,” Tony said, hovering just outside of easy slapping distance from Hulk. “You wanna maybe stop that? Can we find someplace to sit down? Or go back to the tower? Have some hot cocoa, put on your jammies?” 

Hulk scowled. “Not sleepy.”

Oh. “Okay, then. We can get jazzed up on Pixy Stix and watch cartoons. Whatevs.” 

That might have worked, if Hulk hadn’t been distracted by something he saw down the street. He took off running—which caused more damage to the pavement, but at least he wasn’t slapping the utility poles anymore. He was bellowing something, but it wasn’t until Tony caught up to him that he figured out what it was.

On the roof of a shop was a giant, inflatable bunny. Brown, with white ears, paws, and tummy, and a pink bow around its neck. And Hulk was bellowing, “ _Snowbunny_.”

The inflatable rabbit was the kind that stayed up thanks to a blower in the base. As Hulk reached up to take it from the roof, Tony winced in anticipation of what he knew would happen. “Buddy, you, uh, just leave him where he is, okay? Try petting him.” He mimed the action with one gauntleted hand, but Hulk wasn’t even looking. 

He pulled the rabbit into his arms, and as he did, it collapsed into a shapeless mass of brown and white fabric. Tony expected him to go full-on ballistic, and he did, but not in the way Tony expected. Hulk sat down on the pavement, cross-legged— _Indian style_ , they’d called it when Tony and Bruce were growing up—clutched the fabric to his chest and wept, in great, howling sobs. It wasn’t long before his face was a mess of tears and snot, and Tony started to wonder—not entirely facetiously—about localized flooding. Hulk tears were _big_. 

The others must have heard, because Cap’s voice in his ear said, “Iron Man? Report. What’s going on with Hulk?”

“Uh,” he said. “We have a situation. You might wanna come…I’m a little out of my depth, here.” 

Cap came, followed by Hawkeye. Tony explained what had happened, as briefly as he could. “Okay,” Cap said. Through the comm., Tony could hear him taking deep breaths. “This is…I think we’re gonna have to tranq him. I know he doesn’t mean any harm, but….”

“If he starts kicking his feet and pounding his fists, he’s gonna rack up a body count,” Hawkeye finished. He selected one of the extra-strength elephant tranquilizer arrows from his quiver and drew a bead on Hulk’s meaty biceps. “I have the shot,” he added. “Obviously.” 

Cap glanced over at Tony. “You okay with this?”

Tony wondered why Cap was asking _him_. He might be Hulk’s post-fight babysitter, but he wasn’t his _parent_. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s the best of a crummy set of options. Bruce will understand.”

“Take the shot, Hawkeye,” Cap ordered. 

He did. When the arrow hit, Hulk was startled into stopping mid-sob. He looked down at his arm with an expression of sheer _betrayal_ before he toppled. 

#

Thinking over the incident, Tony made a call to the facility where the belongings salvaged from the Malibu house were being stored. Learning that the item he was interested in had taken only minor damage, he had it sent to the manufacturer for refurbishment, and from there to the Tower in Manhattan. It arrived in time for Hulk’s next outing. 

That one happened to be a long fight, and Tony could tell Hulk was tired in the aftermath, but he didn’t sit down, and dug in his heels every time Tony tried to get him moving in the direction of home. He seemed to be looking for something, as he wandered through the streets, occasionally growling or muttering. 

Relaying the situation to Cap over the comms, Tony finished, “I think it’s time to deploy the secret weapon.”

“Roger,” said Cap. “Team, Fuzzy Bunny is coming onto the field. Hawkeye, stand by in case this doesn’t work.”

Tony had arranged for the item to be loaded into a moving truck when they assembled, and brought as close as the driver could get it to the scene when the all-clear was sounded. That turned out to be a couple of blocks away; Tony flew over. He was glad he’d taken these precautions—flying with a giant, custom-made stuffed rabbit strapped to his back was more difficult than he would have anticipated. If he’d had to get it the whole way from the Tower, he would have had a problem. 

When Tony—and Fuzzy Bunny—came into Hulk’s sight, he ran straight for them, bellowing, “ _Snowbunny!_ ” Tony unstrapped the thing from his back, quickly—Hulk starting to cuddle it while Tony was still attached would not end well. He plopped its bunny butt onto the ground, and held it upright with a hand on one furry plush ear. 

Tony expected a full-body Hulk tackle of the bunny, but reaching it, Hulk stopped just short of it. Tentatively, he reached out one massive finger and stroked the bunny’s furry face. “Bunny,” he rumbled. “Pet bunny.”

“You can hug this one, big guy,” Tony assured him. “He’s pretty sturdy.” He’d had the toymaker reinforce the seams, while he was at it. 

But Hulk didn’t take his word for it. Giving Tony a wary look, he walked around the bunny, examining it and poking it from every angle. Finally, he was satisfied, and pulled it to his chest, with a happy rumble of “ _Bunny_.” Sitting on the ground, cross-legged again, he rocked and cuddled the giant stuffed toy. 

There was only one thing missing, Tony decided. Landing, he dashed into a corner store and bought a gallon jug of apple juice. After drinking his juice, Hulk fell asleep, cuddling his bunny.


End file.
